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Thursday Therapy

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

— Phillipians 4:6-8

I’m not a worrier. I don’t get overly anxious. I know that whatever troubles I encounter, I can get through — not that it will be easy, but that I can get through it. But boy, there’s some hard stuff going on in the world right now, and the reality is, I know that I am not immune. It may seem calloused, but some things don’t phase me as much as they do others. I don’t like crowds (or running), so my family isn’t going to be at a big event like the Boston Marathon. But Sandy Hook, that got me. Classrooms full of kids dying. And West, Texas. A small town blown up. So I pray. I pray for safety for my girls. For protection for them.

But above that, I pray for them to be resilient. The stories lately that really make my stomach churn are of these girls abused and then humiliated who took their own lives. These girls had probably the worst thing they could imagine happen to them, and then had it broadcast to their peers. And they felt so hopeless that they couldn’t see beyond that. So they ended it. That breaks my heart. This world is temporary. High school is especially temporary. Devastating situations are, too. As hard as it can seem to get past it, YOU DO. I remember when my mom was sick, when I realized that there was no doubt she was going to die. I planned it out a few different ways — mercifully killing us all, mommy, daddy, Mary, and myself. But I was never actually suicidal. I was too practical and realized that something could go wrong and one of us be left alone. That would be even worse. So, life went on. And it’s a wonderful life. You smile again. You laugh again.

No matter how bad it gets, it gets better. Sooner. Later. Or maybe not until eternity. But it gets better. So I pray for my daughters. For safety. For protection. For resilience. And that they always know hope.